Door-latch.



W. H. COLLIER.

DOOR LATfiH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20. I916.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

muma, wnsumaruul o c.

W. H. COLLIER.

DOOR LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20.1916.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917. w 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. WWI/$466444 ATTORNEY.

WILLIAM H. COLLIER, 0F BBENTWOOD, TENNESSEE.

DOOR-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Patented Apr. 3, 1917..

Application filed July 20, 1916. Serial No. 110,303.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. COLLIER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brentwood, county of Davidson, and State of Tennessee, have invented a certain new and useful Door- Latch, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to door latches, and particularly to latches for carriage and automobile doors. It is very necessary that such latches shall act positively and with certainty; and it is also desired that the construction of such latches shall be such that their mechanism shall be entirely concealed, except for the operating handle and for the portion of the bolt which protrudes from the door when the latter is open. It is further desirable that such latches shall be extremely simple and relatively inexpensive. The improved latch herein described possesses the above qualities and further comprises a novel spring construction whereby the latch is much simplified.

The object of my invention is to provide a latch adaptable particularly for the purposes specified and which shall be simple, positive in action, compact, and readily concealed.

I will now, proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, and will then point out the novel features in claims. In said drawing:

Figure 1 shows a perspective elevation of my improved latch applied to an automobile door, which latter, and the adjacent portion of the frame of the car body, are shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 shows on a larger scale, a central vertical section of a portion of the door frame and of the bolt-socket, the bolt itself and its operating spring lever being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing an alternative construction.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig. 4:.

Fig. 6 shows a transverse section of a portion of the lever 7 of Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3, of an alternative construction.

Fig. 9 is a view imilar to Fig. 2, and

Fig. 10 a horizontal section, of a further alternative construction.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, numeral 1 designates-the frame of the door and numeral 2 the frame of the adjacent portion of the car body. 3 designates a tubular socket fitted into the frame of the door and having at one end a flange a recessed into the edge of the door frame, while at its other end this tubular socket has a holding nut 5. Within the socket 3 is the latch bolt 6,'which may have any suitable cross section, but in the particular construction shown is cylindrical. The outer end of this bolt 6 is beveled, as is customary.

7 designates an operating lever for the latch, secured to thebolt 6 by a pin 8 working in a corresponding lot of the bolt; and this latch lever 7 has as an integral part of it a U-shaped spring 7 The lever 7 is of spring steel and is a bar of rectangular cross section which, below the bolt 6, is twisted at right angles and then bent into a U, the shorter leg of the U being curved around to form an eye for the passage of the socket 3; the nut 5 holding this shorter leg of the U tightly against the door frame, and the end 7 of this shorter leg being turned up as indicated particularly in Fig. 6, so that this shorter leg of the U acts as a spring lock washer to hold the nut 5.

As shown particularly in Fig. 3, but also in Fig. 1, the lever 7 is seated within a slot in the rearwardly projecting portion of the bolt 6.

The set of the spring 7 is such that it tends to press the bolt 6 outward or to the left of Fig. 2. The lever 7 is provided with a handle 9 whereby the bolt 6 may be retracted against the action of the spring 7*; this handle 9 working through a slot in a guide plate 10.

In the frame of the car, and opposite the tubular bolt socket 3, there is another simiupholstery space of the door and so are concealed; that the sockets 7 and 11 are also concealed, except at their front ends, so that in practicethe only visible portions of the latch are the front ends of these sockets, the front of the bolt, the handle 9, and the guide plate 10. I 7

Figs. 4: and 5 show several alternatives to the constructions shown in Figs. 2 and 8. For example, the bolt socket, here designated bynumeral 3 is screw threaded exteriorly, and is screwed into the door frame 1, instead of being held therein by a flange and lock nut; and while this bolt socket 3 may have a lock nut 5 (indicated in Fig. 4 in dotted lines) this look nut will in general be omitted. In the construction shown in Fig. 4 thebolt spring is not integral with the operating lever, there designated by numeral 7 but is an ordinary helical spring, located within the bolt socket 3 and bearing against the bolt 6, which latter is of reduced diameter, where the spring 7 surrounds it; this spring also bearing against a flange 3 0f the bolt socket. The operating lever 7 is'anchored at its lower end by 7 means of a headed screw 7 the lower end 7 held. by the head of the screw 7 The operation of this mechanism is the same as that of the mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and'3. j

It is often desired that the lock bolt may retreatandthen advance again without movement of the operating lever. For example, when the door is closed without use of the operating handle 9' (as, for example, when the dooris slammed shut) it is desirable that the projecting operating handle 9 shall not move. Figs. 7-10 inclusive illustrate constructions otherwise similar to those of Figs. 15 inclusive, wherein this result is obtained. In 7 the construction shown in Figs. 7 and 8 (otherwise generally similar to'the constructions shown in Figs. 4 and 5) the pin 8 is at the rear of the lever 7? and therefore obviously the'bolt 6 may retreat and again advance without affecting the'position of the lever 7 (and its handle 9 see Fig. 1

In the construction shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the tubular s0cket3 (corresponding to 'the tubular socket 3 of Figs. 2 and 3) is extended rearwardly of the operating lever 7 and is slotted, rearwardlyof said lever,

' j the lever playing insueh slot, 12. The lock bolt, 6", also has in it a slot, 13, in which the lever 7 is also adapted to play, and across said bolt and its slot 13, and in rear of the lever 17, is located a pin 8 Behind the bolt 6 there is a spring 7, abutting at its rear end against the pin 14.

It will be clear that in this construction, as in the construction shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the bolt 6 may retract and thereafter advance without movement of the lever 7 What I claim is 1. A latch such as described comprising a bolt-socket, a bolt slidably mounted therein, and an operating bar of rectangular section fitting within a slot in the rear end of said bolt and connected to said bolt, and, below the point of such connection, twisted into a plane at right angles to its plane where connected to such bolt, the so twisted portion of the lever being provided with means for holding it in place, the structure comprising spring means tending to project the bolt.

2. A latch such as described comprising in combination a bolt socket, a bolt slidably mounted therein, and an operating lever for said bolt consisting of a U-spring, one arm of which is extended to form the operating lever, the other arm of such spring adapted to be secured to a fixed support, the extended arm of said spring being connected to the bolt and adapted to'actuate it.

3. A latch such as described comprising in combination a bolt socket, a bolt slidably mounted therein and having a rearwardly projecting slotted portion, and an operating lever for said bolt'consisting of a bar of rectangular section fitting within the said slot in the rear end of said bolt and connected to said bolt, and below the point of such connection, twisted into a plane at right angles to its plane where connected to such bolt, and thereafter bent into a U- spring, and means for anchoring the said spring.

4:. A latch such as described comprising in combination a bolt socket, a bolt slidably mounted therein and having a rearwardly projecting slotted portion, and an operating lever for said bolt consisting of a bar of rectangular section fitting within the said slot in the rear end of said bolt and connected to said bolt, and below the point of such connection, twisted into a plane at right angles to its plane where connected to such bolt, and thereafter bent into a U- spring, said spring having an aperture through which said bolt socket passes, and

carried by the bolt engaging the rear of said operating lever, and spring means tending In testimony whereof I have signed this to press said bolt forward; the construction specification in the presence of two subscribbeing such that because of the engagement ing Witnesses.

of the bolt with the rear of the operating WILLIAM H. COLLIER. 5 lever, the bolt may retreat and subsequently Witnesses:

advance Without movement of such operat- CATHERINE M. KELLEY,

ing lever. JOHN GRAIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Bomminsioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

